"We, together."
When Lin Wanwan uttered this promise, and when her hand and Xiao Che's hand together covered the two seals representing the highest power of the empire, a brand new era quietly began.
From that night onward, a profound and subtle change occurred at the power center of the Great Liang Dynasty.
Every morning, the memorials that flooded into the palace like a torrent were no longer sent directly to the Imperial Study. Instead, a large portion of the non-urgent government affairs were diverted and sent to the Kunning Palace.
Kunning Palace, which was once just the residence of the empress, has now become the second political center of the empire.
Having been granted the official "right to review" documents, Lin Wanwan displayed unprecedented focus and enthusiasm.
At first, she simply followed Xiao Che's suggestion to categorize and filter the numerous memorials, and write down her initial opinions. For example, when an official in a certain place requested the repair of a river, she would write, "This concerns the people's livelihood and should be approved. Please have the Ministry of Revenue calculate the budget." When a locust plague occurred in a certain place, she would write, "Disaster relief is urgent. Please have Your Majesty quickly dispatch an imperial envoy and allocate grain and funds."
Her advice was pertinent and pragmatic, greatly reducing Xiao Che's workload and allowing him to focus more on the most crucial military and national affairs.
However, just a few days later, Lin Wanwan was no longer satisfied with this passive approach to solving immediate problems.
She looked at the memorials that had gathered from all corners of the empire. They were like scattered pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, each reflecting a lesion or a glimmer of hope in the body of this vast empire.
In some places, people are troubled by the disrepair of water conservancy projects; in others, they are worried about the lack of trade routes. In some places, education is in decline and people are not yet enlightened, while in others, handicrafts are thriving and there is an urgent need for new markets.
In the traditional memorial system, these problems were presented as isolated issues. The court's decisions were often piecemeal, addressing symptoms rather than the root cause, lacking a systematic and long-term plan.
"No, this is too messy."
Late that night, after reviewing the last memorial, Lin Wanwan rubbed her sore eyes and put down her vermilion pen.
Looking at the mountain of files in front of her, an even bolder and more ambitious idea rose uncontrollably in her mind.
She needs to make a plan.
A grand blueprint that focuses not only on the present but also on the future; that not only solves individual problems but also systematically promotes the development of the entire nation!
Once this thought arose, it was like a spark that ignited a wildfire, instantly setting off all her passion.
She stopped looking at the memorials and instead ordered Qin Zheng to bring a large amount of blank Xuan paper and different colored inks and brushes.
In the study of Kunning Palace, candlelight shone brightly all night.
Lin Wanwan completely entered a state of working tirelessly, forgetting to eat or sleep.
She was no longer an empress passively handling political affairs; she became a passionate and creative chief architect.
Her desk was no longer filled with dry, lifeless words. Instead, it was covered with drawings filled with strange symbols and lines that were incomprehensible to anyone of this era.
That was a "mind map" that only existed in her time.
Centered on "Daliang," she drew out a series of branching areas—agriculture, commerce, military, education, people's livelihood, and governance...
Under the "Agriculture" branch, she drew sub-branches such as "Irrigation and Water Conservancy Construction," "Improvement of Rice Varieties," "Promotion of New Agricultural Tools," and "Revision of Tax Laws." She even drew simple structural diagrams of a curved plow and a waterwheel based on her vague memory, and marked them next to them: "Please have the Ministry of Works develop them."
Under the "commerce" branch, she planned a series of bold ideas, including "opening up trade routes between the north and south," "establishing official banks (the prototype of banks)," "standardizing weights and measures," and "collecting commercial taxes." She used a huge map to draw several golden trade routes running through the north and south, and marked the key nodes along the routes where post stations and warehouses could be set up.
In the field of "education," her ideas were even more boundless. In addition to the traditional imperial examination, she proposed revolutionary concepts such as establishing "women's colleges," "royal academies," and "vocational and technical schools," aiming to break down class and gender barriers and cultivate various professional talents for the empire.
...
Drawings and ideas were constantly being created under her pen. Those advanced concepts from another world that once only existed in her mind were now being systematically and visually constructed, bit by bit, into a grand and clear framework for a future empire.
This is the scene that Xiao Che saw when he came to see her.
His empress, the woman who was sometimes intelligent, sometimes cunning, and sometimes gentle in his presence, was now hunched over her large desk. She had rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of her fair wrist, and held a vermilion brush in her hand, her expression extremely focused.
Her brows furrowed at times, as if she were conquering some difficult challenge; at other times, they relaxed, her eyes sparkling with wisdom and insight. The candlelight danced across her profile, casting a soft halo around her, and in those phoenix eyes that were always as clear and cool as water, a flame he had never seen before, a flame called "creation," was burning.
Scattered around her were countless sheets of paper covered with strange patterns. Xiao Che couldn't understand a single one of the "flowcharts" made up of arrows, boxes, and curves, but he could clearly feel the rigorous logic and magnificent spirit contained within them.
He didn't make a sound to disturb them.
He stood quietly in the shadows of the study, like a mortal who had stumbled into the work of a god, watching with a mixture of awe and fascination as his empress, in a way he had never imagined, personally sketched out the blueprint for their shared empire.
He felt no displeasure or wariness at the thought of power being "shared."
Instead, there was an unprecedented and immense sense of pride and love.
He knew that what he possessed was not a jealous, dependent woman in the inner palace, but a priceless treasure who truly possessed an independent soul, whose talent and vision were even comparable to his, no, enough to make up for all his shortcomings.
He looked at her earnest profile, at the dazzling starlight in her eyes, and felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
Having her made him feel richer than having the whole world.
...
This state lasted for five days and five nights.
Lin Wanwan practically locked herself in her study, taking naps at her desk when she was tired and snacking whenever she was hungry. Qin Zheng, Ruolan, and the others were very worried but dared not disturb her.
Xiao Che, for the first time ever, moved the Imperial Study to a side hall of Kunning Palace. He handled the most urgent state affairs, while also shielding her from all external disturbances, giving her an absolutely quiet space for creation.
Finally, at dawn on the sixth day, as the first rays of morning light shone through the window into the study, Lin Wanwan finally put down her pen.
She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if her body had been hollowed out, utterly exhausted, yet mentally she felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and exhilaration.
After five days and five nights of sorting and integrating, she finally condensed the scattered, forward-thinking ideas in her mind into a complete, systematic, and executable project plan.
She carefully organized the thick stack of manuscript paper filled with text and charts, and then used a simple sheet of Xuan paper as a cover.
Looking at the culmination of her hard work, she thought for a moment, then picked up her pen and solemnly wrote five large characters on the cover.
Just then, the study door was gently pushed open.
Xiao Che carried in a steaming bowl of porridge. When he saw Lin Wanwan look up, his eyes were filled with heartache.
"Is it over?" He placed the bowl of porridge on the table and asked softly.
Lin Wanwan nodded wearily, but a radiant smile of relief graced her face. She handed him the completed project proposal with both hands.
"Yes, it's over. Or rather... it's begun."
She looked at him, her eyes sparkling with an unprecedented light—a sense of pride and anticipation that was about to usher in a new era.
"Xiao Che, take a look. This is the first gift I prepared for you and for the Great Liang."
Xiao Che's gaze fell on the cover of the project proposal.
On the pristine white paper, five powerful yet elegant characters, imbued with a uniquely feminine grace, stood out prominently—
The Five-Year Plan of Daliang.
These five simple words seem to contain immense power!
Xiao Che reached out, wanting to take it. However, when his fingertips touched the paper that still carried Lin Wanwan's warmth, his hands couldn't help but tremble slightly.
He knew that he had taken on more than just a business plan.
It was a brand new era, a golden age that he and his empress were about to usher in themselves.
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